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Poulsbo staff present stormwater functional plan; city proposes modest fee adjustments and targets for NPDES compliance
Summary
Public works staff presented a 10‑year stormwater functional plan that inventories the system, outlines capital projects and regulatory obligations under the NPDES permit, and recommends a one‑time increase to the general facility charge and future rate review.
City staff presented the final draft of Poulsbo’s stormwater functional plan at the March 12 council meeting, summarizing the utility’s system, regulatory responsibilities under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, a 10‑year capital improvement program and a high‑level financial analysis.
Public Works and planning staff described the city’s roughly 80 miles of storm pipe network and multiple treatment and detention facilities spanning urban drainage basins. Staff said the plan balances system maintenance, water‑quality improvements for Liberty Bay, and rising regulatory obligations.
Charlie (Public Works) and Rachel Bowen reviewed recent projects completed since the last plan, including the Johnson Parkway/Bjorgen Creek culvert replacements and a Liberty Bay bioretention retrofit tied to the middle school. Bowen noted the city contracts with Kitsap Public Health District for water‑quality sampling and reported generally improving long‑term trends for fecal coliform at many sites.
The functional plan highlights new NPDES permit requirements the Department of Ecology added during the latest permit cycle: increased emphasis on pollutant prevention, more retrofits, tree‑canopy goals, and outreach to overburdened communities. Staff said they performed a gap and staffing analysis and recommended steps to meet the more stringent requirements.
On finance, staff proposed a one‑time $200 increase to the Stormwater General Facility Charge (GFC) and recommended revisiting rates after a separate solid‑waste assessment later in 2025. Staff said the city’s current monthly stormwater rate of $22.67 is slightly below regional averages (about $26); the fund is generally stable for several years but capital demands and permit needs may require future increases.
Council discussed elements of the plan at length: how retrofits and “stormwater parks” can be combined with recreational uses, the interaction of future development (including ADUs and RVs) with impervious surface thresholds, pressure‑washing restrictions tied to older buildings (PCBs), and the potential impact of state and federal funding availability. Staff cautioned the construction CIP list contains opportunistic grant projects — many hinge on competitive grant awards.
Staff will bring back ordinance and rate proposals if council wishes to pursue the recommended GFC increase and will continue outreach on NPDES compliance items that affect businesses and homeowners.
